Chicken with large gash in the side! Please help!

[Airehead012]

My 4-5 month old white Americauna rooster was caught by one of my dogs yesterday.

He is alive, but has a large gash in his side. The gash is under his wing, and is no longer bleeding, but I don't know if he'll make it.

The skin and feathers are completely gone where the gash is, but I don't think the muscle is pierced at all (the muscle is the layer that you see). His other injuries include a small limp after laying down for a while, and a possibly broken or bent wing. We have him seperated from the other three by an old window screen (he is currently underneath the coop, which is 3 feet off the ground). He has food (chick/starter-feed), water, and some plain non-fat yogurt. He's been laying down and switching positions every hour or two. He flew/jumped out of a 1 and 1/2 foot tall bin last night, so I don't think his legs are injured. If anyone has any suggestions of how to help him heal well, fast, and completely and get him back to normal, please let me know.

(P.S. I love this bird and will do almost anything short of stitches or surgery to get him better. Thanks!)

 

[chickensioux]

https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=193608&p=3 Here is a thread on wound care. It is great.

 

[Wynette]

If you could post a picture, we can be of better help to you. In the meantime, you did the right thing in separating him, but I'd try to separate him to a space that is confined and clean. I am worried that his injury will become dirty if kept outside.

First, bring him in and clean the area...a warm betadine solution or even just some warm water will do the trick, just make sure it's clean. I had an injury once that I simply filled a sink in the kitchen with warm water (after scrubbing it out w/comet and rinsing thoroughly before) and added a capful of betadine solution; I then soaked the area, and used a cup to scoop out water and pour over the injury. When he's clean, put some triple antibiotic ointment WITHOUT pain reliever on the wound. Do you have a dog crate? They work wonderfully well for these types of situations. Make sure he's on clean/dry bedding, and that he has food and water. I use a plastic dog crate with a metal door, and I purchased some bird cups that hook right on the door; this way, they can't knock them over. Continue with the bathing/cleaning and antibiotic ointment treatment until he's healed. It could take a few weeks, but hopefully he'll be back to normal SOON. BEST of luck!

 

[dlhunicorn]

I will go back shortly and review the link the above poster has just posted but wanted to immediately advise you to GET HIM OUT FROM WHERE YOU SAY HE IS and separated to a clean environment (the bathroom is a good place in a large box)
>make some sterile saline (and boil/sterilize the container you will use for spraying it with > a dishwashing soap container is a good one as you will need to FLUSH the wound (spraying is really insufficient with a deep wound)
... to make the saline you need to boil 1/2 tsp of salt in a half gallon of water > rolling boil for five minutes let cool.

> flush the wound THOROUGHLY and then air dry > after spray on some antiseptic such as chlorhexidine (hibiclens > you can get this at drugstore) or novalsan ... if you do not have that then use iodine or apply neosporin . Please do try and get the hibiclens (you will need to repeat this daily for the first few days).
If you do not have neosporin then you can apply honey.

 

[Airehead012]

Thanks for the suggestion. I don't think we have a spare dog crate (all of ours are in use), but we have plenty of large cardboard boxes. Would this work as well? Also, where can I find bedatine solution?

 

[dlhunicorn]

any drugstore will have that (and while you are there ask for hibiclens or equivalent chlorhexidine based antiseptic)

 

[Airehead012]

Just called my Dad, he's getting hibiclens (or equivalent), antibiotic ointment and a squirt bottle for me. We'll put him in the garage in a large plastic bin with clean bedding. Thanks for all the advice, we'll see how it goes. I've got a pic of the wound, but can't get it to download to my computer (old camera). My mom used to work at a vet's, so I guess she'll be helping me.

 

[Airehead012]

This is a picture of "Victor" when his wing is down and covering the wound.

Here is a picture of the wound, which is under his wing.

Yesterday, we moved "Victor" to a large bin (plastic and clean), with some wood shavings in the bottom, covered by a large towel. He has plenty of food and clean water, and eats and drinks a little bit (he doesn't need much; he sits down and relaxes most of the time). We made some saline rinse as one of the above posts stated, applied some very diluted hibiclens, rinsed that off with more saline, dried the wound gently with a clean towel, and applied some neosporin. We went through the same operation today. Victor will stand and coo a little to greet me if I come a see him, but he did that yesterday too. So far we haven't seen any improvement and my mom insn't sure if he's going to get any better. Any suggestions on further care for the poor rooster? Thanks for the help you've already given us.

 

[dlhunicorn]

Did you put electrolytes in the water for shock/electrolyte imbalance from that > this may be what is making him still lethargic if you did not ?
Dont rinse off the hibiclens with saline... let it air dry (dont use a cloth... use a hair dryer on a low setting . Then apply the neosporin or honey
This is my info on (avian)wound management... have your mom look at it
http://dlhunicorn.conforums.com/index.cgi?board=practical&action=display&num=1158141893

 

[CaliBlueChicken]

Hello, I hope that Victor is doing okay.

we just had one of our 5 week old chicks attacked by what we suspect to be an opossum or raccoon tuesday night. I was going to suggest the electrolytes too and that website that chickensioux posted really has helped us alot for cleaning etc. I am not sure if it has been done, (and I am pretty sure it mentions it in the link from chickensioux) but we also clipped the feathers around the wound that were dipping in and around it to help prevent infection. Oh and I am not sure if anyone has mentioned it, sorry if I may be repeating information but keep him warm. We are just using a clip on lamp for ours to lay under. Crossing our fingers for you and Victor

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